Voting When Money and Morals Conflict: An Experimental Test of Expressive Voting
Posted: 19 Apr 2005
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Voting When Money and Morals Conflict: An Experimental Test of Expressive Voting
Abstract
Moral considerations may matter much in voting because the costs of expressing support for a morally worthy cause may be low in a referendum. These costs depend on whether a voter expects to affect the outcome of the referendum. To test the low-cost theory of expressive voting, we experimentally investigate a proposal to tax everyone and to donate tax revenues. The analysis of expectations and voting decisions shows that the low-cost theory fails to explain voting decisions. Instead, we find that voters tend to approve of the proposal if they expect others to approve, too.
Keywords: Expressive voting, low-cost theory
JEL Classification: A13, C9, D72
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation